A Brand New Hope: Part 1 of the Legendary Heroine Verse
by hanorganaas
Summary: Leia Skywalker has spent her life under the care of her Aunt and Uncle, and is betrothed to one of Jabba Hutt's Smuggler Lackies. But when her Uncle purchases two Droids on the night her marriage plans are finalized, a distress call from a mysterious stranger in one of the droids sends her and her husband to be Han Solo on a wild journey Leia never thought she'd ever embark on.
1. The Curious Case of the Droids

**_So Last year I started writing this Fan Fic Verse purely for fun and I wanted to make my own version of the Leia and Luke Swap Roles fic. I didn't expect it to become huge, but...low and behold it did. So many people liked and recommended it. Even some perferring this to canon. And then this story became but a fun project and a catharisis, which I did managed to give to Carrie Fisher herself right before she ascended to immortality._**

 ** _Alot of people loved it so I am bringing it here for you to enjoy! I will try to post at least one chapter [as the first in this series is complete] a day._**

 ** _Of course before I go on, obviously Carrie was still with us when I started this fic. But she was the inspiration to start out this verse and escape to it when well...the shit hit the fan._**

 ** _So Carrie this series is for you. I am so blessed I got to meet you and to tell you how much you mean before you meant!_**

 ** _Now without further ago...Part One of the Epic Legendary Heroine Series...A BRAND NEW HOPE_**

 **1\. The Curious Case of the Droids**

 _This had to be by far the most bizarre dream she ever had._

 _This dream was different than most of her dreams, much more vivid and detailed. She was on a ship, men were running around lasers flying about. The ship shook beneath her as it moved. Smoke started to surround her, making it hard for her to breathe, so she ran._

 _Suddenly, she found herself in a corridor. A cloaked man stood over a droid, an R2 unit. He knelt down and put a tape inside the machine before it rolled off. As she tilted her head the scene changed again there was a man dressed in black, walking towards her._

 _She could hear his breathing. Loud and almost mechanic making it's way towards her. It was slowly saying her name:_

 _"Leia….Leia."_

"LEIA!" The voice of her Uncle Owen burst through the house, "HALF THE MORNING! IS ALMOST OVER!"

Leia Skywalker sat up slowly in bed rubbing her eyes, quickly forgetting about the strange dream she just had. She had so many of them over the years. Just fragments of puzzles she had yet to be solved. With all the things she had on her mind….she had learned to let them go.

"Another dull day" she mumbled.

When she was younger she used to get up excitedly, helping Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru with a big happy smile on her face. But then she got older, started goofing around with some friends at the Tosche Station and realized that the farm life was boring. Well there was that and she was soon to marry Jabba the Hutt's lacky as part of a deal to save her uncle's skin.

She just wasn't cut to be some smuggler criminal's wife, as charming as he might be. She was meant to be just like her friend Biggs, who was out fighting the Galactic Empire on some X Wing Fighter.

Instead, here she was, stuck on this kriffing planet with her kriffing boring life, going to have to kiss the ass of a man she hasn't seen since in person deal was sealed. Maybe if she got dressed quickly, she could sneak out and hang out at Tosche station and hang out with her friends for a bit.

It was after all, the only place she could feel like herself.

* * *

Unfortunately, she didn't even make it that far. She forgot this was the day Uncle Owen said he was going to buy some new droids from Jawas, since it was soon evident that Leia was going to be only God knows where, with her new husband (the last message said he still had yet to find a home for them) and Uncle Owen had no more extra hands.

"And just where do you think you are going" Uncle Owen said, the moment she stepped out the door.

Leia stopped dead in her tracks.

"Uncle Owen," she said with a sweet smile. In the past he had been strict, but after the betrothal, knowing how upset Leia was that she was being hoarded like a bantha, he had become more lenient. Sometimes a sweet smile and a promise that she would run home if he needed her, would cause Uncle Owen to let her go.

"I was just going to go to the Tosche Station to pick up some power converters."

"Wasting time with your friends," Uncle Owen responded. The small little creatures were poking at his leg, pressuring him to pay, as a gold plated protocol droid who was taller than her, frighteningly made her way towards her. "Do you realize what day it is? Jabba is coming with Han tonight so we could jump-start your wedding ceremonies."

Leia's face turned white. She must have been so focused on dreading her upcoming nuptials, she forgot how close the actual wedding was.

"The actual wedding isn't tonight, is it?" Leia said, "If so, I _need_ to go say goodbye to my friends. Who knows when I'll be back here?"

"Don't be so dramatic. First of all, we're only sealing the contract tonight and second of all I'm sure Han knows how much your friends mean to you and you guys will stop by once in awhile," her Uncle responded, as the Jawas continued to poke him.

"I'll pay in a minute, gods. Look, you need to help your Aunt Beru get this place ready for Jabba and you can start by cleaning our new droids." he said, pausing to point to the gold droid and the small R2 unit with red paint. The red droid made it's way towards Leia before stopping and smoking at the top with a bang.

"Well this looks like one new Droid," Leia said, furrowing her brow and placing her hands on her hips. Part of her wanted to accept defeat and realize she would not be seeing her friends before her life became about Han and this mysterious Chewie he always seemed to be hanging around with. Maybe she could just sneak out to the Tosche station just for a few moments.

"This one has a bad motivator."

Uncle Owen turned his head to yell at the Jawas for trying to scam him when she felt a small metal hand touch her shoulder.

"What?" she asked. The droid stepped back in shock at how rather forceful she was. But nevertheless still managed to talk beneath it's stuttering.

"Excuse me Ma'am," the droid said, pointing towards a rounder looking droid bouncing eagerly."But that R2 unit is in prime condition. I worked with him before."

Leia nodded her head. She might as well step in before Uncle Owen made a fool of himself.

"Uncle Owen what about that one," Leia said, pointing to the exact droid the protocol droid had pointed out.

"He looks like he's in good condition and I am sure you don't want to start a disruption before Jabba the Hutt gets here."she said.

"Fine we'll get that one," Uncle Owen said, finally taking the money out to pay the Jawas, before turning to Leia.

"What are you waiting for? Get the droids in the house so you have time to make yourself look presentable for your husband to be" he exclaimed.

Leia only responded by groaning and leading the droids into her home. Why should it matter? From the looks of that Hologram he sent her just weeks ago, Han was probably going to be dirty and greasy from working on his damn ship anyway.

* * *

"You seem distressed Mistress Leia," the gold protocol droid called C3PO said as he went down into the oil bath,"Is it the Jabba the Hutt fellow you are about to marry?"

Leia twisted her face as she remembered the day she got betrothed. She was fifteen years old, and still hadn't hit her growth transition phase. She hadn't even had her first "moon cycle", like her other friends had. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru had brought her into this dingy little joint, which was supposed to be some sort of palace. The music was loud and the creatures and humanoids were rowdy, some purposely falling onto Leia. Aunt Beru, a usually sweet and gentle woman, literally had to fight these men to protect her niece.

The image that stood out the most, besides her pimple-faced husband to be, was Jabba himself. The thing was a monstrous and grotesque creature with slime falling out it's mouth. Leia wanted to vomit but then she saw the woman sitting in front of him. Beautiful woman with blue eyes and blonde hair, and about three years older than herself. She was beautiful and muscular, almost warrior like and yet here she was, fucking degraded to a woman in a metal bikini and a chain around her neck.

Leia was so grateful to the gods she left that place betrothed to a weedy smuggler covered with pimples, and not chained by the neck by some disgusting monster. She would rather strangle herself with a chain while Jabba was sleeping than be tied to him as a slave.

"I am about to get married unfortunately," Leia said, coming with a cloth to clean the R2 unit, "but fortunately it's not to Jabba. I don't know if a smuggler who is probably wanted in maybe, 13 systems is any better though."

"Oh dear!" C3PO exclaimed, "why would your Aunt and Uncle want you to be married to someone like that?"

"My grandfather died with thousands of units in debt to Jabba, so it was either marry the smuggler and Uncle Owen pays Jabba 5,000 units a month," Leia lamented, "or Uncle Owen would have been killed and Aunt Beru and I would have been starving and homeless."

"A good choice indeed," C3PO said.

Leia went over to clean the Blue Droid R2-D2, it was called, but stopped dead in her tracks. Her dream she had last night, she hadn't noticed it before, but the dorid looked exactly like the droid the man in the cloak had put the tape in. But it couldn't be, could it? True, Leia had many dreams, puzzling ones, some in sequence, others unrelated, but sometimes images from her dreams came true.

She remembered once, she had dreamt of a sandstorm she was caught in. She could see home on the horizon but the closer she got, the farther it moved from her, as if something was pulling her back. The next day on the way home from the Tosche Station….Leia and Biggs got caught in a sandstorm. Both women found themselves huddling against a rock until a stranger offered them safe passage to Leia's home.

Those were merely coincidences, but this droid….it was much too similar to the droid from her dream to be a coincidence.

 _You're probably just nervous because this is the first time you are seeing Han in five years,_ she said to herself, _and by next week you will be his wife._

As quickly as the idea came in her head she shook it off. Prophetic dreams….mechanic men. Uncle Owen would probably just laugh it off. She knelt down in front of the droid and began to clean it off.

"Do you have any idea what he is like….besides a criminal?" CP3O inquired again.

"I don't want to talk about him," Leia said, vigorously running the polish over R2-D2's body, in a meticulous motion. She moved the cloth towards a slot in the droid. She might as well give it a deep clean. The thing was dirty and beat up, probably hadn't had a good washing in ages. But when she went to clean the slot she felt something lodged in there. She raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm, there's something jammed in there."

Leia looked to see if there was an eject button, but realized she had tiny enough fingers to manually take the object out. Slipping her fingers inside the slot she tried to gently tug it out, but it wouldn't budge. After a few minutes she became frustrated and began pulling at it. Finally, with one last tug, she went flying backwards. She must have pushed something, a button maybe, because when she sat up there was a holographic image projected on the table.

"No way," Leia whispered.

Maybe there wasn't such a thing as coincidences. The image she set her eyes upon, was of the man in her dream. Not the mechanic one….but the cloaked man who put his hand over the droid and told him a desperate message. A message that was being repeated over and over again, Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope.

"R2 what is that?" CP3O exclaimed.

R2 beeped.

"He says it's a message for Obi Wan Kenobi and he is his property," CP3O translated to Leia, "I am not surprised that he would come up with a wild message like this." R2 beeped again, "Obi Wan is not your owner. Mistress Leia and her family are."

Frightening coincidence or not, from the look in the man's eyes and the way he turned his head in panic, Leia knew this man was in trouble and she needed to find this Obi Wan Kenobi. Thankfully she had some idea how to find him. There was a man, Ben Kenobi, a hermit who lived beyond the Dune Sea.

Maybe he was related to Obi Wan..

"Do you think you could play the message from the beginning?" Leia inquired.

"He says the restraining belt has messed up his recording system," CP3O said, translating frantic chirping coming from R2D2, "if you remove the belt he can probably play the message from the beginning."

Leia nodded and reached for the node that came off in one simple twist. Not even a millisecond later, the holomessage disappeared.

"Where did the message go?" she said, knitting her brow, "bring back the message!"

"LEIA SWEETHEART!" the voice of Aunt Beru called from upstairs "YOUR UNCLE NEEDS SOMETHING FROM HIS SECONDARY TOOL BOX!"

She could use this opportunity to tell them what she had just seen. Maybe they had met Ben and could tell her where to find him.

"Stay here," Leia said as she made her way out of the room, "And don't cause any trouble."

* * *

Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru were hard at work. Uncle Owen was putting the finishing touches on a couch that was twice the size of a regular seat, so Jabba could sit throughout the proceedings and through dinner. Something which was going to be brutal considering the sandstorm of items that weighed heavily on her mind. Aunt Beru was already hard at work, making sure dinner was ready.

"Did you bring up the toolbox?" Uncle Owen asked.

Leia silently nodded and gently placed the toolbox at his side. Uncle Owen looked up and raised his brow noticing the rather tense features on her face.

"You look nervous," he said, simply, "it's about Han isn't it? I know the man has a shady past but he seems to really care about making you comfortable and being a good husband. Remember what he did for your birthday-"

"It's not Han," Leia said. Okay, it was true she wondered if Han's contact with her family was just some ruse to hide the fact he was truly a smug bastard or he was truly sincere. If it was going to be a good marriage or an awful one. But right now he was the least of her worries. "I think the droids we brought might have been stolen."

"Stolen?" He inquired, "What makes you say that?"

"The R2 unit said it was the property of an Obi Wan Kenobi," Leia said, being careful not to mention the details about the man and his message. She noticed in the corner of her eye, her Aunt Beru stopping what she was doing. Both her Aunt and Uncle exchanged concerned glances. Something in Leia's gut told her they knew him. "I'm thinking he could be related to Ben Kenobi…"

"That wizard," Uncle Owen said quickly, "is just some crazy old kook and you can forget about Obi Wan, he died around the same time as your father."

Leia tensed up when Uncle Owen mentioned her father. When she was younger she used to ask a lot of questions about her deceased parents. Except, every time she did, the subject would be changed. It was if there was some dark secret. She learned not to ask, but even so….the mere mention would cause her to tense up in mystery.

But it was not the time to ask about her father. It was about the droids. Who the man in the message was, and how to find a way to help him.

"Maybe we should look into it then," Leia said, folding her arms in front of her chest, "we are still on quicksand with Jabba the Hutt. If they're real and previous owner comes here looking for the droids…"

"They won't," Uncle Owen said sharply, "Han's staying here tonight after the contract signing. Maybe you two can go in the morning and have the droid's memory erased. It will be a nice bonding experience for the two of you...after that….that will be the end of it...they belong to us now."

Leia opened her mouth to speak but immediately stopped herself. Fighting with Uncle Owen would be like fighting with a stubborn Bantha on a hot day, completely pointless. She just sighed and folded her arms.

"Now I see you haven't freshened up yet," Uncle Owen said.

"Take a shower, clear your head. Your husband to will be here in less than three hours time and there will be no talk of stolen droids."

Leia never answered. She just turned her heels and made her way back downstairs. She was not going to give up figuring out who the man in the holographic image or finding Ben Kenobi, who she had a feeling was indeed related to Obi Wan. Even if she had to drag Han with her she would find her answers.

* * *

 _Alright,_ Leia said smoothing down her dress as she looked in the mirror. _Let's figure out how to get through this...and then we'll find Ben Kenobi in the morning._

Her normal attire was a sleeveless brown top with light brown pants to match. Her hair was in a messy bun, (she never put much thought into what she was wearing). Now, she had changed her brown hair, which went to the mid length of her arms, so it was down and loose. To top it all off she was wearing a brown sleeveless dress with purple trimming. She looked ridiculous! Leia was going to look like some imposter to Han.

It was only for tonight. She remembered the message Han had sent her on her birthday. He said he would be open and let her do what she wanted. If the man kept to his word….she would never have to wear a dress in front him again.

She took a deep breath and walked into the living quarters of her bedroom when she was startled by the shrill scream of C3PO.

"MISTRESS LEIA!" the droid cried, "Please don't be angry and deactivate me! But it's R2! He escaped! I couldn't stop him."

Of all moments she had to find out the damn droid escaped. It had to be minutes before Jabba the Hutt arrived with her husband to be. She couldn't run out and find the escaped droid. But she couldn't risk getting in trouble either. She needed a moment to-

"LEIA!" Uncle Owen bellowed from upstairs, "GET UP HERE! JABBA'S BARGE HAS ARRIVED!"

"Kriff," she said.

"Alright, here's the deal. You are going to stay down here and say nothing. I am going to get through this contract signing, and I'll see if I can find a way to sneak out…...even if it is with Han."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" C3PO exclaimed as Leia made her way towards the stairs.

"I don't know," she responded, "but if saves our skins then it doesn't hurt to try."

Gods, this was a mess.

Hope you enjoyed!

Next Up:

Leia meets her husband to be Handsome Smuggler Han Solo for the first time in five years, and Han already senses there is something strange going on with Leia.

Like? Remember to send comments and Kudos, it feed the Author's motivation.


	2. The Smuggler

_**Thank you so much for your comments and reviews for this fic [because everyone loves the idea of Jedi!Leia].**_

 _ **A few notes before moving on:**_

 _ **-This will be a Hodgepodge of EU and Canon [especially in later stories in the series]**_  
 _ **\- Some characters will be Rule 63ed for the sake of girl power effect Biggs being one of them.**_

 _ **Please enjoy the next chapter.**_

 _ **[Also listen to "Wildest Dreams" By Taylor Swift when Han walks in it definitely adds the Affect XD]**_

* * *

 _Just keep calm and pretend nothing is wrong,_ Leia thought to herself.

Jabba was already there by the time Leia made her way outside the dwelling. He was bigger and much more monstrous than she remembered. She almost wanted to vomit at the sight of the slime coming out his mouth, but she reminded herself that if she acted inappropriately, things weren't going to end well with Jabba.

 _"[*Leia look at you*]"_ The monstrous slug said in his native language before taking her hand in his. It was rough and scaley, and she almost wanted to pull it away, but the look in Uncle Owen's eyes told her to suck it up. _"[*You have grown; I am almost envious of Solo because he is set to marry such a beautiful woman*]."_

Leia cringed as Jabba's tongue ran up the top of her hand. She pressed her lips in a tight line to not immediately cry out at how disgusting and slimy Hutt's tongue had felt against her skin, but she only swallowed and forced a smile at the corners of her mouth. If her being nervous with that R2 unit being on the loose wasn't enough, now her hand was covered in slime. What a marvelous way to meet her husband-to-be.

"I am sure Han would resent you whisking me away from him," Leia said, causing Uncle Owen to make a small groan at the how sharp his niece's tongue could be at times.

The monstrous beast made a small chuckle, finally releasing her hand. Leia made a small sigh of relief, slipping the hand Jabba violated with his gross, slimy mouth behind her back and shaking off all the slime.

 _"[*Beautiful and funny*]",_ The hutt mused. _"[*I have made the perfect choice for Solo*]."_

"Speaking of Han," Uncle Owen said. For the moment Leia couldn't have been more relieved to hear the man's tough gruff voice fill her ears. One more moment of talking to the kriffing Slug and she probably would have punched him for his misogynic behavior. "Where is my future nephew-in-law?"

 _"[*Poor boy is having jitters about seeing your beautiful niece,*]"_ Jabba said. _"[*He couldn't sit on the way here and claimed to have found a leak in the gasline of the barge and spent the whole ride here fixing it.*]"_

"It wasn't nerves, Jabba." A new voice was added to the group. Something deep and profound and familiar she heard only weeks ago in a birthday holomessage. Something that caused a chill to go down her spine; she knew just who this voice belonged to. It was Han's. Leia's eyes scanned the area looking for the owner of the voice. She found him standing at the edge of the barge wiping his hands clean of dirt and grime with a handkerchief before putting it in his pocket. "You really did have a leak in your gas line. Had I not found it, you would have—"

Han suddenly went quiet when his and Leia's eyes met. She knew Han had gotten a bit more attractive when she saw the Holomessage, but now staring at him in person, she realized puberty hadn't just worked wonders on him… it had transformed him. His face was clear of all the pimples that had speckled across his face. He was taller— still lean, but muscular, with broader shoulders and long, strong legs. She almost wondered for a moment what he could possibly look like underneath that dark blue leather jacket and white shirt.

 _Don't get carried away just yet,_ Leia thought to herself. _He is handsome, but you don't want to fall for him and be disappointed._

Of course, his smile, wide with his teeth flashing, was already undoing her. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. Han stepped slowly from the barge, hand gripping slowly onto the railing of the ramp in between the vessel and the sand. The warm desert wind blowing through his thick, messy, light brown hair. As he stepped closer to the small group, she noticed his handsome features, his defined chin and nose, striking hazel eyes and a long scar on his chin.

Oh gods, he was like a dream.

It seemed like long moments before he finally embraced the group. He patted Jabba on the back before walking over to Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen.

"A pleasure to speak with you again, Solo," Uncle Owen said.

"You too Owen," Han responded, "and please call me Han. After all, we're family now."

Leia watched as Han gripped her Uncle's hand firmly and shook it. He then moved her to Aunt Beru and kissed her on the hand, causing her to blush a little.

And finally, he walked over to Leia. Her breath was quickening as he made his way towards her. Standing only inches away from him, Leia could see how kriffing tall he was. He towered over her compared to her tiny, petite frame. He took her tiny hand in his large palms. Her heartbeat started to roar in her ears as rough fingers, calloused from working on mechanical gear, ran over her skin. She felt herself trembling. She was filled with a mix of nerves because of the missing droid and excitement because, well… she had thought she was going to get a gross and weedy smuggler and, instead, was getting a prince.

"Leia," Han said, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing her on the knuckles. They lingered for a long moment before he brought her hand to chest level. Thumbs ran in circles over the top of her palm. "It's nice to finally speak to you face to face and not behind the occasional… holomessage and gift…."

Leia smiled nervously. Tall, handsome, charming— it was getting harder to keep herself guarded.

 _"[*Why don't we leave these two to get acquainted with each other,*]"_ Jabba said, wrapping his arm around Uncle Owen. _"[*The first part of the process does not require either of them…..we'll call them when we're ready*]."_

"Uhh," Owen hummed raising an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, Owen," Han said flashing a charming smile. "I may be a smuggler, but I'm still a gentleman. You can trust me."

Uncle Owen nodded, leading Jabba and Aunt Beru into the house.

Now it was just Leia and Han, out here in front of her home as the two suns of Tatooine slowly positioned themselves to set. Before, tiny tremors had wracked through her body; now, Leia was shaking. R2 was still out there; Han turned out to be the opposite what she was expecting— in looks, at least; moments from now her fate was going to be sealed; and out there in the galaxy, there was someone who needed help and, probably, no one coming for him. Usually Leia was a calm, cool, and collected person under pressure, but today… with so much going on, she was a mess.

"Are they in?" Han said looking behind her to see if the coast was clear. "Okay, good, they're in." He relaxes slightly. "We can talk alone now. I don't think having everyone around was good for you."

"Excuse me?" Leia inquired, raising an eyebrow. It was the first words she had spoken since Han descended from that barge. True, she was impressed that Han was taking the initiative to care for her well being, but she still wasn't ready to trust him. In fact, she was thinking of coming up with an elaborate lie to get him to sneak out with her to find the droid. Maybe Cami called because she wanted to meet Han, maybe ask about this Chewie he kept talking about.

"You're shaking," Han said, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm not shaking," Leia lied.

"Sure," Han responded, "and I'm the King of Corellia. Look, could you let me talk?"

Maybe Leia should let her guard down just a little. After all, Han was trying his best. She had horror stories of betrothals where men were cruel to their wives. She had an ideal situation compared to others.

"Fine," Leia said. "Talk."

Han waited for a moment to collect his thoughts before finally speaking.

"I know I'm not a prince," he began as his fingers continued to move over the top of her palm very gently as a sign of reassurance. "I'm a criminal. I admit that. I'm pretty sure I have a Death Sentence somewhere, but…." His voice trailed off for a second before he continued. "While my job requires me to sometimes take advantage of people, I will NEVER take advantage of you." He looked her in the eye with a firm expression. "As I said before, this is not an ideal situation for the both of us, but you're going to to be my wife, my life partner and, I don't know, maybe even my friend, too, and I'll treat you as such. If you don't want to consummate our marriage right away, fine, we'll wait. 2, maybe even 3 years if we have to. You don't want kids? Good. I'm not sure if I want any either. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do, okay? You can trust me. So...does that ease your nerves a bit?"

She was less tense than she was before. Well, the idea that he probably had a Death Sentence on some other planet didn't sound appealing, but other than that…. The look in his eyes told her that he was sincere. With her nerves about Han out of the way, she still had to worry about R2 being out there and the mystery man being in danger. Maybe if she talked to him more, she could ease her way into telling him.

"A bit," Leia responded. "I am a bit worried about that Death Sentence; I mean, I don't have to worried that some big bad government is going to whisk away my Husband, do I? I am curious at what you did."

Han turned red as his face broke into an awkward grin.

"Well," he began, "while I was doing a smuggle run on a different planet, I, um…" he cleared his throat. "I knocked out a clergyman who caught me right before he was set to run a big weekly service, so I panicked, put on his clothes and tried to run the service myself. Obviously, it didn't go well."

Leia put her hand to her mouth and tried not to laugh, but the idea of the smuggler running a service and trying to wing it, but obviously failing, was too funny not to picture in her head.

"Hey, at least I made you smile," Han said, the corners of his lips moving upward once again, "but it's still not funny, Princess."

"Princess?" Leia said as she raised an eyebrow. She wasn't used to having a nickname, let alone a silly little pet name. He may have said in a way to tease her but it was something about the way he said it that oddly fit. Maybe in some other world she would be a princess. Maybe not a proper one, because she prefered flying speeders and shooting whomprats rather than politics, but probably a good leader.

"Sorry," Han said before one of his hands left hers and moved smoothly through his hair, "force of habit. You don't like it—"

"No," Leia interrupted, her lips turning into a smile. "I like it."

Han opened his mouth to speak, but his smile abruptly turned into a frown. He narrowed his eyes as he looked over Leia's shoulder. His other hand quickly left hers and rested on his belt. It felt strange after feeling the rough skin of his hands for those long moments, having them gone…. Suddenly, something felt missing.

 _You are getting too close,_ Leia thought to herself. _You are way too comfortable with him._

But it was hard not to fall quickly. Leia barely even knew the man or what he did besides smuggling, and he barely knew her, and yet Han was already treating her as if he knew her all his life and as if she meant everything to him.

"Did your Uncle send his droid to watch us?" Han murmured. "I told him I wouldn't do anything."

Leia turned her head and groaned. C3PO was coming towards the couple at an alarmingly fast speed, reminding her that in addition to her marriage predicament, there was a little R2 unit out there in the desert searching for a possibly dead man.

"Mistress Leia! Mistress Leia!" the gold plated droid exclaimed. "Your Uncle and Jabba are deeply concentrated on their meeting! We can use this opportunity to go find R—" He paused and looked over at Han, letting out a hand for him to shake. "Oh my apologies, you must be Leia's betrothed. I am C3PO, human cyborg relations. And your name is?"

"Han Solo," Han said, narrowing his eyes, already curious. He never took the droid's hand. His long fingers keep running over the silver material of his belt buckle.

"Well, sir, I am sure Mistress Leia told you about her missing droid problem," C3PO said.

"Missing droid problem?" Han hummed. His eyes lit up in intrigue. "Interesting. I guess that's why you were so nervous. Well, besides meeting me tonight. Care to explain?"

Leia looked over Han's shoulders. The binary suns that lit the deserts of Tatooine were beginning to make their way to the horizon and disappear for the night. The light started to dim, giving Han an illuminating glow, something she would have admired had it not been for the circumstances. Soon it would be too late to find the R2 unit, and Uncle Owen would have her head.

Well, there was one good thing about CP3O coming at this inopportune moment. Han was a smuggler, and sneaking around was in his blood. It was a trait Leia wished she had when she wanted to hang out with her friends at the Tosche Station. The first step for this marriage was trust, and if she could learn to depend on Han when it came to these things. He didn't have to know the whole story, like the stranger in the video, but to help her find that blasted droid.

"We brought two droids today since you are going to be whisking me away," Leia said. Han couldn't help but smirk at that. "One of them escaped claiming he was the property of someone else after I turned away to go the 'fresher."

"And you expected to sneak out alone or at least fool me into sneaking out while your guardians spoke with the most powerful being on Tatooine?" Han inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Pretty much," Leia responded.

She watched as Han's eyes lit up for a moment. She couldn't read if he was impressed or was relieved that she was thinking of getting him out of here [probably the latter because he didn't seemed to be the type to mingle at business negotiations]. A low rumble of laughter left the pit of his stomach.

"A gorgeous woman _and_ a trouble maker, it seems," Han mused, the smile on his lips wide and bright. "I'm starting to really like the idea of marrying you." Leia felt her cheeks heating up at his words. "Alright, I'll help find that missing Droid. After we do the business bantha fodder, just follow my lead. We'll be out looking for that droid in no time."

Leia, surprisingly, trusted his judgement. After all, charming his way to get what he wanted was something he was paid to do.

* * *

Moments later they were called into the house for their required part, a contract signing. It was a binding document that would, in technical terms, made them husband and wife, but on other planets wouldn't be recognized until a legal ceremony was done. Han signed it with ease, either because it was better not to fight it, or because he was actually comfortable knowing Leia a bit more now.

Leia had her hesitations signing her name. The fact Han was trying his best to make her comfortable— him agreeing to find R2D2 being such an example— did put her a bit at ease. The fact that she was now contract bound to a man who was still technically a stranger was frightening. It was a destiny that she never quite made peace with. But when Han's hand slipped into her own, she found the strength to finally sign her name. After all, Han promised he would make it comfortable for the both of them.

The moment Leia put the pen down, Han gently kissed her for the first time, brushing the hair from her face with a hand that slightly trembled from excitement. Thankfully, she had practice, so it wouldn't be as awkward as she thought it would be. But still this was new to her and it caused a faint blush to form on her cheeks. Jabba clapped as the two of them pulled away.

 _"[*Wonderful,*]"_ The Hutt exclaimed. _"[*Now we eat dinner!*]"_

"Actually," Han said as he rose to his feet. Leia stood up with her hand still linked with his. Not to keep herself balanced, but half because she liked it, and the other half because she wanted to play the game and looked like she was already madly in love with her technical "husband." "Leia and I were doing a little talking and she was telling me about her life her on Tatooine and she wanted to show me around a bit… where is that place you love to go?"

"The Tosche Station," Leia added. She took her other hand and started to look up at Han like she was a love struck youngling in her transition phase.

"The Tosche Station," Han repeated. "She'd show me around, we have dinner, I was actually thinking of moving here in between my smuggling runs so Leia could be near her family and friends. We can see if there's a house on the market."

 _"[*This is after you make up the difference for the Cargo you dropped?,*]"_ Jabba said with a chuckle.

Leia turned, glaring at Han as Uncle Owen choked a bit on his drink. Well, he could have told her that he owed Jabba money, too! But when Han mouthed, "I'll explain later," she forced the smile back on her lips, reminding herself she had to worry about finding the droid.

"Hey, not in front of my wife, Jabba. You'll worry her," Han said, "but yes, after I make up the difference I will buy the house...anyway, with your permission I would like Leia to show me the town."

"Could you at least stay for dinner?" Uncle Owen inquired. "I mean, Beru worked so hard."

"Let them go, Owen," Aunt Beru said with a smile. "Besides, Han is staying the night. We could make him a nice breakfast."

"Fine," Owen said with a defeated sigh, "but Leia, make sure you drive the Speeder into town; I don't want you two getting tangled with Tuskin Raiders. Also, would you do me a favor and take the droids with you? I think it would be good while you are out there that you fix the glitch."

"Of course, Uncle Owen," Leia said with a grin, leading Han out the door. "Han and I promise we will be home by 0:00 hours."

The moment her back was turned, she took a deep breath. That was problem solved, yet a whole host of other problems including debt, a missing droid and a mysterious man in trouble still remained.

* * *

 _ **Next Up:**_

 _ **On the hunt for R2-D2, Han and Leia meet Leia's friends at the Tosche station and a connection to Ben Kenobi the mysterious Mara Jade who takes them to the old wizard**_

 _ **Like? Remember to send comments and Kudos, it feeds the Author's motivation**_


	3. Flying Through the Dessert

_**Wow I am sorry Life in the Way and Completely Forgot to Update this (Thankfully both Stories in the seires are done so far so Yay!) Here we Go!**_

* * *

"Alright we are going to need to stop at the Tosche Station," Han said as he and Leia walked at brisk pace to the speeder, C3PO followed slowly behind.

"Why?" Leia inquired raising an eyebrow, "The later we waste time, the more likely we are to encounter Sand People."

"First rule of smuggling sweetheart," Han answered, "always have an alibi. You never know when you are going to encounter an overzealous Imperial law enforcer demanding to know where you were when a certain set of goods are stolen. "

Leia sighed and looked at the positioning of the suns. They were very close to setting over the horizon. Truth was she would rather stop at the Tosche Station and see what her friends like Camie thought of Han [apparently other than the rumor Han Solo was a hunky Space Pirate]. But Uncle Owen had told her the story of how he watched Tusken Raiders rip his father's leg off. She didn't want to risk going out when it was really dark.

"It's still a waste of time," Leia said glaring at him. "By the time we get there it will be dusk, and another hour we'll be out in the Dark and facing Sandpeople."

"It's fine," Han said, pulling his jacket to the side revealing a small pistol attached to his belt. "I always carry two Pistols, this one and another in my pocket in case I get captured. I'll give you one. Trust me if your Uncle goes snooping to see where we went….we have witnesses."

"Trust you?" Leia said rolling her eyes. This was why she was so hesitant to fall for him in the first place. After the conversation with Jabba she was beginning to have her mixed feelings, "How can I when you failed to tell me we're going into this marriage with financial trouble?"

"I didn't exactly have TIME to tell you," Han fired back keeping his face soft, "besides, maybe it was better I didn't because I had a feeling you would worry about this."

Leia paused to turn to face him. Her brow furrowed. Gods, before she found his caring for her endearing. Now she found it aggravating.

"Worried?" She said. "Han the reason we are now Contract Bound in the first place is because my Grandfather was in debt to Jabba. Now my husband is in the same position! What did you do? Did you steal from him?"

"I was doing a run and was spotted by an Imperial Starship," Han answered, he wasn't hesitant surprisingly. Maybe because he had been thrown against the wall for his job so many times he learned to keep under pressure, "At first I thought it would pass by, but when it started making it's way towards me I knew they would find the Cargo I was smuggling and I would be arrested. So I threw it overboard while they were coming."

"Mr. Solo made a risky but smart move," C3PO said as he caught up with the pair, "smuggling is an automatic death sentence in The Empire, had he been caught and would have been executed for sure."

"See the droid agrees with me," Han said giving the protocol droid a small wink, "Look usually I would have tried to outrun them. But I had a fiancee to think about, and believe it or not I am quite a catch and a gentleman…..I wasn't sure if I was willing to have Jabba throw some other Jackass at you if I died."

Leia shook her head. But his words reminded her how lucky she was it was Han - the man who barely knew her yet treated her like she was someone who he knew forever - was the man Jabba bound to her and not some man who would have thrown her on the ground and had his way with her. It didn't mean he was already pushing her buttons and toppling her emotions between attraction and rage.

"You know I am still not quite sure if I find this _I put myself before you attitude charming or aggravating_ ," Leia said causing Han to snort, "but since you took the time to explain yourself I'll forgive but next time….I won't be so lenient…" She paused at pointing at the speeder, "alright, we'll stop at the Tosche station before finding R2, the speeder is over there….get in."

"Are you asking me to fly this thing?" Han inquired raising an eyebrow inquisitively, must have assumed she was a victim of a mostly patriarchal society on Tatooine (some people like Biggs were able to slip through the cracks because of her progressive family) , an honest mistake. But being the only child worked to her advantage, Leia did more gruff work with Uncle Owen that women wouldn't normally have done, "I mean the controls are different than that of the Falcon but I think I can fig-"

"You think **YOU** are flying this thing flyboy," Leia said with a smile before hoping in the in the driver's seat, "Clearly you are mistaken." An impressed gape formed on Han's lips as C3PO got into the back of the speeder assuming the Smuggler was riding shotgun, "well are you going to stare at me drooling like a dog or are you going to get in?"

"Sorry," Han chuckled as he got into the seat next to her, "I am just reeling over the fact that my wife's a pilot…..I'm definitely going to have to teach you how to Co Pilot the Falcon….though I don't think Chewie is going to like sharing."

"Chewie...are you going to tell me about him since I am assuming he is part of the marriage?" Leia asked as she turned on the engine.

"I would…" Han said strapping himself in, "but then it would ruin the suspense."

Leia only rolled her eyes, set the speeder into the air, and drove out into the slowly creeping darkness.

* * *

"Are you sure this is not a Cantina?" Han asked as he gazed into the fully gathered room.

The Tosche Station used to be a simple store that only sold parts for moisture farmers and the occasional pilot, but in recent days this place became a hangout for people Leia's age. So much so Camie, one of her acquaintances, turned an empty space into sort of a bar where people would gather. The place was lively tonight. Young men and women sat in groups. Some were drinking and laughing, others were working on carborators, and then there were some couples kissing in drunken passion. Poor Camie and Fixer were going to have their hands full for the rest of the night.

"Nope," Leia answered, "it's a store but people like hanging out here."

"Mistress Leia should I follow you? C3PO inquired, "Or should I stay here?"

"Stay here," Leia replied, "I think it's better if Han and I ask about Artoo."

She suddenly felt Han's hand link with hers. At first she was jumpy, she still wasn't used to this sudden and spontaneous affection - hell she never seen such spontaneous affection happen between Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen - but when his calloused thumb ran across the top of her palm she relaxed. Half of her wished she wouldn't react so comfortably to Han's affections but her body...well...it was talking for her.

"I hope you aren't going to show me off to your friends," Han said with a chuckle, "I draw the line at being your Arm Can-"

"LEIA!" A young woman with long brown hair and blue eyes exclaimed. She set her tray over on the table and made her way towards the couple. She walked over to Leia and hugged her before looking up at Han, "who's the handsome guy? Please tell me it's Han! You know how Jabba the Hutt is when it comes to his betrothal making…."

"It's Han," Leia said, "Camie this is Han Solo, Han this is Camie. She is the owner of this fine establishment fiancee."

She could see Camie looking up at Han in wonder. It could have been one or two things, one with all the complaints Leia had made about his job and pre transition phase appearance she didn't expect him to be this handsome. Or two, there were plenty of rumours about Han that swirled around Tatooine and traveler's circuit making the name "Han Solo" a legend around these parts and now she was finally putting a face to the name.

She wasn't the only one. All the women around the place seemed to look up at Han in almost a dreamlike manner. One such only a table away from the three of them leaned forward put their chins in their hands and opened their mouths wide. For a moment Leia felt proud and possessive that she had such a catch and wrapped an arm around Han's waist and pulled him close...even if he still towered over her.

An impressed grin formed on Han's features. Maybe because he wasn't so used to someone so tiny be so forceful with him.

"May the galaxies bless the Hutts, Jabba set you up with a prince!" Camie exclaimed. A small smug grin formed on her face. "Maybe should I convince my parents to piss Jabba off too…I mean imagine the handsome pirate smuggler I'll get over…." She paused and pointed to a tall man taking off his welding helmet before making his way over to the group, "This one."

"Hey!" The man said before walking over to Camie and wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her on the cheek, "you say that now and then you run into my arms like it is no big deal." He paused before turning to Han and Leia. "Assuming by the way you're close to our Leia you must be Han….I heard the stories about you around here. Laze Loneozner but you can call me Fixer, and you are welcome here anytime you want."

Fixer patted Han on the shoulder. Leia expected the tall, handsome and lanky smuggler to smile maybe pat the other man back. Instead he tensed a small awkward smile formed on his lips. She hummed in intrigue, between this reaction and thinking back to how he wouldn't shake C-3PO's hand she wondered if Han may have an aversion to being touched by strangers.

Which was puzzling to say the least because he seemed to be comfortable in Leia's grip. Then again Han and Leia's case was much different. He had met her before the four year gap and they have communicated through messages - so in an odd case; she wasn't a stranger. But it was something she would ask once the dust was settled with the blasted little droid.

"Thank you," Han said brushing his fingers over the hand that settled on his waist, "as I told Leia's guardians...we're thinking of settling here on Tatooine in between my smuggling runs, this won't be the last you see of me."

"It's good to hear," Fixer said before turning to Leia, "You are a few minutes off. Biggs just left a couple of minutes ago. Probably had some emergency at the flight academy. It's too bad she would have loved to meet Han. Anyway coming to hang out?"

"We would love to," Leia said before making a deep sigh, "but I have a bit of a problem Han is helping me solve. Maybe you can help us? I know occasionally Droids come through here without their masters….did you by chance see one? It is this high," She paused and moved her hand to about her waist, "has blue paint and a red blinking light rolls around…"

Camie and Laze looked at each other before turning their heads back to Han and Leia.

"We saw a droid like that in here," Camie said nodding her head, "it took a good look around the place, and then….this woman she comes in here occasionally looking for parts, knelt down in front of the Droid and talked to it and then they left."

Leia's heart skipped a beat. R2-D2 seemed to be a droid that had marched to it's own beat. It was determined to find it's master, this Obi Wan Kenobi. The stranger had to have known where he was, that and she was the one ticket to finding that blasted Droid.

"Do you know what she looked like?" Leia inquired.

"Medium height, skinny," Laze added, "she has fiery red hair so, it won't be hard to miss her, I don't think she went so far either she left only an hour ago. So she couldn't have gone that far."

Leia smiled and patted Laze on the shoulder before kissing Camie on the cheek.

"Thanks friend," She said. "Sorry we couldn't stay. But next time...it will be a longer visit."

And with that she was out the door with a waving Han in tow.

* * *

It was close to dark by the time Leia got behind the the speeder again. True, there were times she and her friends were out late, but they were never this far out of town. Even with Han in the passenger's seat with a pistol ready to fire if the Sand People tried to get them, she still felt nervous. She didn't want to get a limb ripped off like her Grandfather did.

"I don't know how you could live in a place like this," Han said scrunching his face, "too much sand, it must be boring to look at all the time."

Leia had been quiet. She was too concentrated on the road drowning out the probing questions C3PO had about Han to have a decent conversation. She needed to be concentrated and on the watch for the enemy.

"After living here for 19 years you get used to it," Leia nodded keeping her eyes ahead of her, "what about your planet? What is it like?"

Despite the only light being the headlights of the speeder illuminating their way, she could still clearly see Han's smile.

"For all the sand you have in this forsaken planet Corellia has something just as vast," Han said waving his hand, "Probably worse…"

"What could be worse than a Planet dry and dead all the time?"

"A planet filled with trees…..lot's of kriffin' trees. Everywhere you go see a Tree….the outskirts….Trees….the beach…..trees….even in the city which wherever you go know has not a single tree in sight….what do you see…..trees. I swear the color green has begun to nasuate me I have been exposed to so many trees."

Leia laughed. It was odd. She had probably knew the man for a couple hours now, but it seemed as though she known Han her whole life. He already in these couple of hours made her feel a whirlwind of emotions, joy, anger, fear and excitement. She had never loved a man before. She had no idea what it was like...but she couldn't help but wonder….was this it? Maybe in a couple of days she would know.

"Do you miss it?" Leia inquired.

Han sighed deeply.

"Sometimes yes sometimes no," He said his smile slightly fading, "my childhood wasn't exactly a leisure space flight which is a story for another day," Leia nodded while they were connecting she understood. He didn't trust her yet which was fine. She didn't require him to, "but….sometimes when Chewie and I have no runs to embark on I like to visit, I always loved to go the beach at least and swim in the ocean. Maybe we'll go on our honeymoon…..camp out."

"I like that plan," Leia hummed. The next set of words was on the tip of her tongue but a beeping sound drew her attention away, "Look the scanner, it detects a droid and a human being. It must be the mysterious red head we're looking for and Artoo."

And indeed it was. Ahead of her, Leia saw a woman cloaked, but beside her was the blue paint that illuminated in the moonlight that caught her attention.

"It is," Leia said as she stopped Speeder a good several of meters away from the two of them. Han was beginning to reach into his pocket. "C3PO stay here and watch the Speeder….usually Sandpeople tend to go after more…biological lifeforms."

"Oh dear," C3PO exclaimed, "but it's what you ordered Mistress Leia."

Leia stepped out the vehicle smoothing her dress. Han quickly tapped her on the shoulder before handing her a small pistol.

"It will make me feel better if you are holding this if these Sandpeople are as dangerous as you say they are," Han said as he reached for his belt and pulled a pistol the same model as hers but slightly larger.

Leia examined the weapon in her hand. She never held a gun before, let alone seen one up close. They were more prominent closer to where the Hutts resided like Mos Eisley, it felt a little odd holding it in her hand. But she figured out which buttons to push if she needed it.

"Alright Han," She said quietly, "we need to approach the situation quietly, we don't want to-"

"HEY!" Han yelled his hand clutching on the pistol as he went walking towards the woman.

Leia growled and grabbed her pistol tightly walking briskly towards Han. Of course, the same man who got a death sentence for impulsively trying to pretend was a clergyman WOULD aggressively approach a possible thief loud enough to wake every sandperson on the planet. .

The mysterious woman, who was cloaked, began sprinting away with a squealing R2-D2 following behind her. Han used this as an opportunity. He leaped onto the droid causing it to fall the ground with a squeal. Leia stopped dead in her tracks as a wave of panic coursed through her body. She prayed to the gods Han didn't break the thing. It quickly abated when she saw the droids lights blinking.

But she didn't have time to dwell. The stranger grabbed Han by the jacket collar dragged him to one of the rock walls and put a knife to his throat. Leia took a deep breath and lifted the gun. Of course never firing one before and fearing she would hit Han...it shook in her hands.

"Who are you? Did the Empire send you?" The stranger said quietly knowing they were sandpeople afoot, "why do you want my father's droid?"

"YOUR FATHER'S DROID!" Han growled, "THAT'S MY WIFE'S DROID!"

Leia blinked at that, admittedly it was going to take a while to be used to being referred as a wife, even if they were only married by contract sense.

"Quiet you'll attract sandpeople," The stranger hissed again before turning to Leia, "You...you are the wife?"

"Yes," Leia said quietly responded, "wasn't my choice though."

"My condolences."

Leia couldn't help but smirk at that but still kept her gun trained in case the stranger made a sudden move on Han.

"He's not so bad once you get to know him," She said nodding her head, "but the droid, you said it belonged to your father….I know he wouldn't be Obi Wan Kenobi but we thought he could be Ben Kenobi."

The stranger kept her grip tightly onto Han, knife still to his throat. Han kept still knowing that once accidental false move could cut him by mistake. But the stranger...she narrowed her eyes and took a good at Leia.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Leia Skywalker," Leia responded lowering her gun as a sign of friendship, and in hopes she would be bringing home Han in one piece and not a corpse.

The stranger's eyes lit up the moment she heard her last name, as if they were old friends in the past. Leia studied the stranger's face, looking through her old memories thinking when she could have possibly come across this person. But nothing. So why was the stranger acting like she knew her.

She quickly released Han causing him to stumble to the ground. Leia on instinct ran to Han's side and slowly helped him onto his feet, she gave him a small smile as she helped him dust off his clothing. He looked like he was about to strike the woman but Leia calmly gripped his arm.

"Skywalker….my father always predicted we shall meet one day," She said as she slowly walked over to RD-D2 and helped the droid to it's feet, "I am Mara Jade, I am Ben Kenobi's adoptive daughter. I'll take him to you. Our home is not too far from here. But we must move quickly the sandpeople are about and your husband probably provoked them."

Logic told her to take Han, grab R2-D2 and run. But with the mysterious man in grave peril out there in the galaxy and this Mara Jade being the link that could bring them to Ben Kenobi and curiosity on how Ben Kenobi knew who she was...she didn't seem to have much of a choice but to follow her.

"I have a speeder," Leia said pointing behind Mara with a smile.

"Even better," Mara responded, "By the way, my apologies for attacking your husband….my father is not really on good terms with the Empire which is why we are here in the first place...so when your Husband attacked me I assumed he was working with him."

She started to walk away with R2-D2 following behind her. Han turned to look at Leia rasing an eyebrow.

"You didn't take the droid and run?" He asked puzzled, "Why?"

Leia looked up at him. She could lie to him. She could make some excuse that she spotted a sandperson and they didn't have time to make it home without running into them and Ben Kenobi's home was closer to them. But to lie to him after she got angry at him for lying to her, would be hypocritical. Besides the truth would come out eventually.

"That droid," Leia said, "has a message, a message that is specifically for Ben Kenobi. We are going to drop off that droid and head home. That is it. Besides maybe we will get rewarded for bringing the droid...specifically money….money of which will pay off Jabba."

Han looked at her and smiled.

"Thinking ahead….maybe you should think about smuggling with me," He quirked with a nod, "I'll get into less trouble with you."

Leia chuckled and rubbed his arm.

"Let's just drop off the droid, head home, figure out how to explain why we came home with one droid to my aunt and uncle and then we can talk about my possible smuggling career."

* * *

 _ **I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Obviously you can mentally envision Mara Jade to be played by whoever you want, but for the sake of the story I pictured Mara Jade to be played by Chloe Bennet with Red Hair XD.**_

 _ **Next Up:**_

 _ **We meet Ben Kenobi, or Obi Wan Kenobi, who reveals a secret about her father that has been hidden from her all her life.**_


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